GRF won a top award and was also a finalist in this year’s Jerusalem Awards, presented in October at BAFTA in London.

From 26 entries, a shortlist of seven, and a final list of three, GRF won in the Festivals (Radio) category with our short programme called ‘Waiting for refugee status ‘. This programme was a presentation of music and words for Advent on the theme of waiting, featuring an interview with Alison Phipps, the foster mother of an asylum seeker. The shortlisting judges said it was as “a timely insight into the reality of those, especially children, seeking asylum and the engagement with the UK authorities.” Alison is Professor of Language and InterCultural Studies at the University of Glasgow, co-convener of the Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network (GRAMnet). The judges said the programme was “…simple and understated but very, very effective…”.

Also, from 16 entries and a shortlist of six, we made the final list of three in the Digital Audio category for our smallVOICE podcast. The judges said “We really enjoyed listening to this – light in tone but substantive in content.”

GRF’s monthly smallVOICE podcast was a finalist in the Series or Strand category at this year’s Jerusalem Awards. The presenting team of Darren, Margaret and Anne were able to attend the ceremony on 15 October at BAFTA in London. The category was won by BBC 2’s Pause for Thought, but the team from GRF were happy to pose with their finalist certificates for the camera!

We’re very happy to report that our two shortlisted programmes both won awards at last night’s Jerusalem Awards held at BAFTA in London.

The programmes were very different  – one a personal reflection for Fathers’ Day; the other, a satirical television sketch for Christmas – but the judges were fulsome in their praise for both. The Fathers’ Day piece was ‘very moving’ and involving; the sketch was ‘clever and creative, with a smart Christian message’.

GRF Team members, Brian Muir and Gillian McKinnon, were at the award ceremony to accept the awards on behalf of GRF.

Members of the GRF team were in London on 20 October at the 2011 Jerusalem Awards for which four of our programmes had been shortlisted. In the event GRF attained two ‘Finalist’ awards, including one for team member Holly McGuigan in the ‘Under-25s’ category. We were delighted that team member Margaret Tooth won an Award for an Easter radio programme broadcast on Central FM in central Scotland.

Jerusalem Awards 2011

Members of the GRF team were presented with a special award at the 2010 Jerusalem Radio Awards ceremony in London on 21 October. The award was for ‘outstanding contribution to religious broadcasting’. This special recognition, which was last given four years ago (to Rev Roger Royle), is made at the behest of the Trustees of the award charity.  The whole GRF team is delighted at getting this award – it provides a great encouragement for our work.

Some of the GRF Team with Jerusalem Radio Awards 2010 in our Glasgow studios

Our programme for Good Friday 2010, Seven last Words, was highly commended in its category and also received a certificate.

Some of the Seven Last Words programme team

GRF’s Sacred Nature programme won a top award at last night’s Jerusalem Radio Awards ceremony in London, where four other GRF programmes had also been shortlisted for awards.

Sacred Nature, adapted from a book by Adrian Cooper, explores the experiences of the spiritual in nature. The award was presented to GRF team members Darren McKinnon and Brian Muir.

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